news

WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today denounced the Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA that hamstrings the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to set the strong standards needed to cut carbon pollution and transition to a clean energy economy.

“With each passing day, the radical Supreme Court makes ever clearer how far they have fallen,” Congressman Tonko said. “Today’s decision undoes EPA authority, undermining their congressionally mandated power by prohibiting the agency from broadly regulating greenhouse gas emissions. This ruling marks a win for special interests and the coal industry and a devastating loss for public health and our ability to combat climate change. The truth is that the stakes couldn’t be higher. Science makes clear that climate can’t wait. Now, we need to immediately enact clean energy investments through the reconciliation process because for every second we delay, the cost of inaction for all Americans only grows.”

Earlier this month, Tonko and his colleagues in the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) sent a letter to President Biden urging him to do everything in his power to reach a deal and sign into law as swiftly as possible a revised reconciliation package that includes the climate investments passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. These investments will result in a reduction of climate pollution, lowered energy costs for Americans during a time of rising prices, and true U.S. energy independence by transitioning to a clean energy economy.

###